


Leather & Lace (Silver/Eric)

by lunaschild2016



Category: Divergent - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:46:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29915715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunaschild2016/pseuds/lunaschild2016
Summary: *Formerly Catching SilverSylvan 'Silver' Bryant has a Dauntless heart, an Erudite mind, Amity kindness, and an Abnegation's ability to be selfless even if she has to sacrifice something of herself. She always knew it was Dauntless where she belonged but living up to her family's legacy there was another matter. Will she be able to overcome a hidden past and step out of their shadows when she finally joins her four older brothers in the faction of the brave? Will her feelings for her brother's best friend, Eric, get in her way or will he help her to finally heal the scars of her past? Eric Coulter had no regrets about leaving Erudite and his so-called family behind him. With fierce determination, he achieved his goal of becoming a leader of the faction and started his own legacy with the Bryant brothers as his allies and friends. Will the bonds of brotherhood be broken when the secret of his feelings for their precious sister is revealed or will it give him the family he never dared hoped for?
Relationships: Eric (Divergent)/Original Female Character(s), Four | Tobias Eaton/Tris Prior, Lynn (Divergent)/Original Female Character(s), Marlene/Uriah Pedrad, Original Male Character/Original Female Character, Zeke Pedrad/Shauna
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

  
  


_ ~Lovers forever... Face to face... _

_ My city or mountains _

_ Stay with me stay _

_ I need you to love me _

_ I need you to stay _

_ Give to me your leather _

_ Take from me my lace~ _

_ [Leather & Lace; Stevie Nicks] _

* * *

  
  
**Eric**

I can’t help cringing when another round of deafening applause fills the auditorium. The headache I woke up with this morning hasn’t gone away, if anything it’s gotten worse. I know I only have myself to blame for my current condition. I shouldn’t have spent the night before drinking with my best friend when I knew what was happening the next day. 

When he suggested we go celebrate leaving Erudite, finally, and going to Dauntless...I agreed. But I only agreed because I wanted to get drunk and forget about the confrontation and proposition I had just hours earlier with my parents. 

The Master of Ceremony’s voice booms as they call another name to come forward and choose their faction. This time it’s the name of my best friend sitting beside me. 

“Bryant, Gabriel,” 

“Here we go. I’ll see you soon on the dark side.” He jokes while he stands up not even bothering to keep quiet, then winks at me wearing a cocky grin. 

I try to smile back at him while nodding but it comes off as a wincing grimace which makes him smile a bit more. No doubt he’s thinking that I’m wincing from my hangover, and he’s not entirely incorrect about that. I’m hungover as hell. 

What is currently causing the most discomfort is the troubled feeling inside me leftover from my unexpected encounter with my parents. They were there when I got home after my aptitude test. I knew something was up the second I saw them since they are never home that early even when they do drop in for the occasional appearance. 

They wanted to talk about my aptitude result and the choice I would be making. It’s not like it should have been a surprise to them that this latest test came back Dauntless. Unlike the other factions, Erudite regularly tests their dependents for their aptitudes, among other things, beginning when they are of school age. It’s supposed to help guide the children in their learning, and it does, but it also lets the powers that be know who will be someone to watch out for and could be of use to them in the future. 

I’ve never been close to my parents and that’s a fucking understatement of my family life. 

Most Erudite look on marriages and children as tools to get them to whatever goal they’ve set for themselves or they see it as them just doing their duty and ensuring the continuation of the faction. 

My parent’s marriage boiled down to a business deal and my birth was just a way for my father to ensure the Coulter name carried on while my mother gained a bit more status since she had little as she was a transfer from Candor with an average IQ but plenty of charms that she knew how to use spectacularly. They had zero love for each other and I wasn’t any different. 

As a child, I tried everything I could to make them proud of me, if not love me and it never happened. They all but abandoned me. 

Oh, they still did their duty by me...made sure I was clothed, fed, and housed. Before I was old enough to care for myself, that duty lay to the people they hired as a nanny or later on the school system. After I could make decisions for and look after myself they made even fewer appearances at the house. By that time I had given up as well and enrolled in anything that could keep me out of the barren place I had to call home. That was my life, my family, and I accepted it.

Now they are suddenly interested in me but only because they want something. I can be of use to them, more importantly, I can be of use to the people they long to be included among; the ruling Elite of Erudite. They made it clear that will only happen if I go along with their plans and I should do so as a dutiful son would.

My stomach churns violently when I think of those plans and what they will mean for the people that have become like the family I never had but always wanted. My best friends' family, the Bryants.

The Bryant family is a complete anomaly in Erudite. From the fact that the parents transferred from Dauntless and Amity to the size of the family (six kids in total) and finally their complete disregard for some of the most stereotypical traits found in an Erudite, they can’t help but stand out. What’s even more of an...oddity...is that none of those things has made them outcasts within the faction like most might expect it to. 

It might be because of the fact that the family, each and every single one of them, is extremely intelligent and talented. There have been rumors that they are actually more intelligent than they let on, something I happen to know for a fact is true. Since Erudite regards intelligence with the reverence a religious person might regard their chosen deity, the family’s oddities are overlooked or regarded positively instead of with scorn. 

Not even the fact that so far all of the children have left Erudite for Dauntless has seemed to affect how the family is looked at. 

“Dauntless!” 

The crowd cheers as one more Bryant leaves the ranks of Erudite. The group wearing black is cheering the loudest of them all. I look over and watch as Gabe Bryant is welcomed to his new faction and laugh quietly when I see that his older brothers are the first ones he encounters.

The first brother to him is of course the oldest of them all. Nathaniel ‘Nate’ Bryant was the first of the bunch to go to Dauntless where the Bryant name is already the stuff of legend. Even though his father transferred out of there into Erudite, the legacy the family has in the faction held strong. So strong, in fact, that it hadn’t been a surprise to anyone when he placed so well in initiation that he was offered a spot in a bid for a leadership position. It also wasn’t any surprise that he shortly became a full-fledged leader, one of the youngest to date. 

His position as a leader allows him to be the first to welcome another brother to the ranks but he’s quickly joined by the others and who meet Gabe with boisterous hugs, slaps on the back, and grins. I know from experience there is most likely some hardcore ribbing from them about his disheveled and clearly hungover state. 

I knew that would be his reception so I quickly turned my attention to see how the other members of the family are taking things. The two remaining kids, the twins, are on their feet, clapping and cheering for their brother. As the cheering dies down, Gideon Bryant gently guides his two youngest back to their seats, smiling at them softly. Instead of going back to her seat, Sylvan, the only girl among the six children, goes into the waiting and open the arms of her mother, Selene Bryant. It’s only then I notice that despite her smile, tears are streaming down her face. 

She was always closest to Gabe, sometimes it felt like even closer to him than her twin brother, Elijah. It was a feeling that was fully returned too. I know that despite his eagerness to go to Dauntless leaving her was the hardest part. 

_ There will be no tears shed over me today. _

I look away, frowning at my stray thought, and swallow the emotions welling from deep within me. It’s an emotion I’ve become familiar with from my years of being around the family but it’s one I still haven’t gotten used to, not when it’s such a confusing mix of them. At least I no longer feel jealousy like I used to feel anytime I saw how much love and support the family had for each other. 

Until I met Gabriel, I was alone and preferred it that way. I interacted with others during school events but outside of that I had no use for friends. Then when I was about ten years old, I was put with Gabriel in an advanced class. We often had to work on projects we were required to complete and we always found ourselves partnering together. Even when there wasn’t a project I found myself spending more time with him but I wouldn’t have considered us friends. I couldn’t allow myself to become attached to anyone who could reject or hurt me like my so-called family had.

There’s something about Gabe...actually about his entire family...that drew me to them. The occasional study session at their house turned into staying for dinner, and that finally led to just crashing there instead of going home to an empty apartment. All of them made me feel welcome and wanted whenever I encountered them. The only ones I haven’t spent much time with are the older brothers, Nathaniel and Lucas but that’s mainly because of the vast age difference. Because of similar reasons I haven’t spent much time with the youngest children, Elijah and Sylvan, either. 

I think back to the last dinner I had with the Bryant family. It was the night before the aptitude testing and all the kids were present for the dinner that had become a tradition for them. I had tried to refuse the invitation, seeing as how it was a family thing, but they wouldn’t hear of it. At the dinner, Gideon and Selene made it clear to me and Gabe their thoughts about the entire ‘ _ faction before blood _ ’ policy that was once so strictly adhered to by the city. Not that the entire faction of Erudite isn’t already aware of their feelings, since they are one of the families leading the charge in changing it. Regardless, they made it clear that night that being in another faction couldn’t and wouldn’t break the bonds of family. For me, they insisted that their home would always be open to be like it has in the past despite not being if I wasn’t in Erudite anymore.

I can’t help comparing that dinner with the farce my parents subjected me to just yesterday. That dinner hadn’t been a personal affair just between my parents and I. No, it had been a spectacle with other prominent Erudite members invited as well. It was under the guise of some coming of age thing where the adults were showing me I was now considered an adult and as such it was only logical to speak to me regarding my potential future like an adult would. 

But the future talked about during that dinner was one of my parent's choosing. One where instead of transferring to Dauntless to become a soldier serving under someone else beholden to the whims of those in charge (i.e..Abnegation), they suggested I should stay in Erudite and help to create one free from the shackles imposed by those who don’t know what it takes to truly lead the city to greatness. 

I’ll be honest...for a second...one brief second...I was tempted. 

The thought of the things I could do with free reign and the power on offer was tempting. In the span of those seconds, I thought about the plethora of complaints and gripes regarding the restrictions or bad policies Dauntless has to endure that even Nathaniel Bryant has had over the years. Then I was brought back to the reality of what Erudite having their own army would mean for those people that oppose those in power would mean. More importantly, in my mind, I knew what that would mean for the family that are the only ones to have ever genuinely given a shit about me. 

I’m still tempted to stay in Erudite...but not because of the power at my disposal or because I agree with their plans. I’m tempted because it might be the best way to protect those that I care about. 

If I’m the one in charge of things…

I’m still deep in thought as the ceremony continues on around me. Names are being called and I know that mine is quickly coming up. I need to decide soon. In my tangle of thoughts, my eyes search out those I most want to protect. 

My eyes search out the family sitting in the Erudite section and land on Sylvan first. 

The girl, who’s barely into her teens, has a way of getting people’s attention even when I know that’s the absolute last thing she wants. Her looks are a sore point for her. At least, that’s what I’ve been able to gather over the years. I can’t really understand why, because even at a young age she was pretty and now as she gets older it’s obvious she will be just as beautiful as her mother is. 

Sylvan inherited many of her mother’s features, including her unique jewel-like eye color and silver hair. While her mother Selene has a genetic mutation that left her with a shock of silver running through her jet black hair, Sylvan was born with the same condition but it left her hair entirely silver in color. The similarities don’t stop there though, as the daughter looks like she will be just as statuesque as her mother. 

People are drawn to her naturally, just like her mom. It’s either because of their beauty or some inherent charm they exude...either way it’s unintentional on the young girls' part. Sylvan tries to keep anyone but her family at arm's length and hides away most of the time but that just seems to make people want to be near her even more. 

If I tried to say I’m not one of those people I would be a fucking liar but I respected her and her family too much to push boundaries that shouldn’t have been crossed just in an effort to get to know the girl who could be and still is such an enigma to me. Even now I find myself entranced with the simple act of looking at her.

_ I can’t stay even though it’s tempting...so damn tempting to stay here with her. _

My breath catches in my throat when her eyes suddenly meet mine. I’ve been staring at her so intently for so long and so lost in thought that I didn’t realize she was watching me too. She’s frowning but I can tell it’s out of concern and not the fact that she caught me staring at her and acting like a total creep. 

We stay locked like that for a few long seconds until the frown starts to morph into a smile. 

That smile alone is such a surprise to me since she’s already gotten so damn good at maintaining the perfect Erudite emotionless mask. When the smile changes to her crossing her eyes and sticking out her tongue, I let out a bark of surprised laughter. I get several strange looks that cause me to act like I’m clearing my throat to cover it up. By the time I look back at her she’s smiling again and glancing at me from the sides of her eyes.

My name is next to be called and I no longer feel as conflicted as I had. There’s still a part of me that wants to stay but I’m not entirely sure staying would grant me the ability to put a stop to what Erudite wants to do. 

There  _ is _ another way, one that could let me play along like I’m going with their plans and on their side even if I’m still in Dauntless. It was even mentioned as a possible alternative during the dinner by one of the top conspirators my parents are involved with but it was dismissed because of the difficulty pulling it off would take.

Going this route would be even more difficult if I’m planning to stop them but it’s something I will gladly do if it protects her….protects all of them.

When my name is finally called I stand and walk confidently to the circular stage. The Master of the Ceremony this year is Johanna Reyes from Amity. She motions me forward with a smile and sweeps her hands towards where the long table stands in the center of that stage. 

On the table are five bowls that hold what each faction has chosen to symbolize their core beliefs. 

For Abnegation there is a mound of smooth grey agate stones. 

For Amity the bowl is full of soil so dark and rich enough that I can smell its earthiness just by walking past it. 

For Candor, there are stacks of pieces of glass, shaped into a perfect pyramid but with the edges left jagged.

For Dauntless there are coals that put off just enough heat to let the person approaching it know they are burning inside.

For Erudite is clear rippling water.

The bowl I stop before is the one just before I get to Erudite’s and I can hear a slight ripple of murmuring in the Erudite section at this development. It’s silenced before it really begins but it makes me smile internally a little, imagining my parent's reaction right now. 

I lift my hands up and twist the blade of the knife I was given for this task until I can make the necessary cut to my hand, enough to draw just a bit of blood. I do this carefully and precisely, making sure I don’t cut too deep and allow just enough blood to flow freely. I clench the hand I’ve cut into a fist and hold it over the coals. 

There’s a satisfying hiss as the red substance hits the burning mass in the bowl. 

“Dauntless!” Johanna declares as I turn and walk away from the bowls.

The noisy applause is just as loud for me as the others before me but as I walk towards my new faction I can’t help that my eyes seek out my old one. I only take a brief look at my parents, where I note that besides my mom’s lips being almost non-existent they are so pinched together, the two of them look otherwise unmoved by my leaving. Yeah, it stings a little, but not as much as it would years ago.

It probably helps that a little higher up I can clearly make out the twins and their reaction. They are both standing up smiling and cheering me as much as they had their brother. I don’t see tears being shed for me leaving but I’m okay with that. 

Actually, I’m more than okay with it since the thought of Sylvan crying because of me makes me extremely uncomfortable.

For the second time this morning I’m smiling as I turn over the knife I used and accept the bandage from that same attendant before finally being allowed to join the Dauntless section.

Gabe is right there, followed closely by Nate, who greets me officially as the leader that he is first before he follows that up with a wicked grin as he promises torture in my very near future. 

As expected he’s giving me just as much hell as he gave his brother for drinking the night before. Sam and Luke are next, and who share sympathetic looks with us. 

“Today’s going to suck for you,” Sam winces out.

“Better hope Amar doesn’t get wind of it,” Luke agrees.

Apparently, they did something similar the night before their choosing as well and it had been hell for them the next day. Their warnings and teasing are mostly good-natured though, so it’s not enough to spoil the good mood I’m in right now.

It helps that there’s an energy in the group of Dauntless I’m standing with. It’s a restless energy that is extremely infectious instead of unnerving. It’s so bad that none of the Dauntless present for the ceremony are even sitting in the seats provided for the faction. They’ve been standing from the start of this ridiculously long process and will continue to until the end.

While Dauntless disregards much of the pomp and ceremony and seems to be chaotic in the way they are spread out in here, there’s a method to the madness which Nate explains to us. The new initiates are all grouped together and purposely stationed right next to one of the exits from the auditorium. Whoever designed this place made a very smart decision by giving Dauntless our own exit.

Nate provides us an overview of what we can expect of the next several hours. From leaving here to just after we get to Dauntless. There are some things he leaves out though like the small details that I know he’s leaving out for the surprise factor and traditions sake. All the factions will have their new blood leave the ceremony first to head out to their sectors. Each one has a different method of arrival and its own traditions to follow. 

Dauntless will be the first ones out, that’s a given. It’s also given that the train will be our method of travel but for the new initiates, we will experience our first physical tests. We will be expected to go on foot for a good portion of the way then overcoming some kind of obstacle (Nate wouldn’t say what) before we even attempt to jump on the train while it’s moving.  Anyone who can’t keep up or can’t make it onto the train will have failed the first, and easiest, of tasks and will be sent to the factionless. It’s a harsh fate that’s in store for anyone who fails out of the initiations of all factions and dauntless have a far higher percentage of people that end up going to live with the factionless. 

At least they don’t require those that are old or sick to either leave the faction to go factionless anymore. Dauntless considered it to be such a horrible fate that many would have rather jumped into the Chasm to their death...and many did just that.

That change only occurred a few years ago after several prominent members of different factions banded together in the first show of faction unity and petitioned the council to change the policies regarding sick, disabled and elderly citizens. It resulted in the creation of a few neutral zones where those that needed it could be housed and cared for properly. Even though it is for members of all factions to reside when their time comes, so far it’s primarily run and occupied by Abnegation, Amity, and Dauntless. 

It was the first step to making conditions in the city better, or at the very least to stop the flow of people being forced to leave their factions and bolster the ranks of the factionless where the unrest was the worst. That should have been widely appreciated by all factions, and for the most part it was. The ones that seem to have the most trouble with it are mostly from a select group of Erudite’s. The same group my parents belong to. They saw it as the beginning of a real threat to the power they already hold in the city as well as a threat to the power they hoped to gain by wresting control from Abnegation. Erudite in general has always believed that it was the only faction with the intelligence and wisdom to be in charge of the government regardless of the fact that since the founding of the city that responsibility belonged to Abnegation. 

While there have been some mistakes and general stupidity with some of their decisions, overall Abnegation has done a good job. At least the city hasn’t imploded in on itself so far. That might change if those who think like my parents get their way. The attitudes were bad enough that it took a bit for the motion to pass for the Care centers, and it created a lot of controversy in Erudite until families like the Bryant’s flexed their influence to help get it passed. 

I realize now that is why they’ve decided to form this army of theirs where they can start by policing and silencing people like my friends while also eliminating threats to their hierarchy with rising stars like Sylvan. 

I also understand now why the Bryants have tried to limit how much is known about them and what they are capable of. It makes sense that the two who are showing the most promise, the twins, have been sheltered as much as they can get away with while they were younger. Because they are thirteen and have reached the age Erudite heralds as the appropriate age for dependents to become productive assets to the faction, they will be expected to integrate more than they have before. 

Until now, Elijah and Sylvan have mostly been homeschooled. There are things they could not get out of, like the yearly testing which determines what kinds of courses are best suited for each child. Then there is the Erudite only version of the aptitude testing which can indicate which factions the child is leaning to as they are still developing. Those rounds of testing help the powers that be know the best way to mold the students in order to keep them.

A sudden thought hits me and I don’t know why I didn’t see it coming before now, but I realize that part of the plans Erudite might have is to finally make a move on those they either suspect or have confirmed are divergent. This new epiphany chills me to the bone and a new sense of dread fills me.

Gideon and Selene have had several conversations with all of their children over the years about the testings done in Erudite. At first, I only ever heard comments about it from Gabe when he would mention advice they had given him from time to time. It was always advice on how to test a certain way to prevent him from being forced to take courses he didn’t want or to be assigned projects he would hate. They even gave me similar advice over the years to help me along to meet goals I set for myself.

I realize now how fucking smart they went about it. For years they’ve helped all of us hide divergence and not even know it. I suspected mine, of course, but was smart enough to err on the side of caution so it wouldn’t show up during my tests. Now I know they were doing the same thing.

My fear is it’s not enough anymore. Moves are being made to take over the city and I see clearly now how they plan to do it. 

Once, the factionless were the biggest threat to the city. Their numbers seemed to be growing each year and the unrest grew along with it. Resources always seemed to be strained to meet the needs of all parties involved, which made some citizens unhappy that their portions were being given to the denizens in the factionless sector who they considered to be without rights. 

It always seemed to be forgotten that a good many of the factionless were made that way because of the insufficient systems set up to handle petty infractions (or crimes as some call it) as well as everyone else the factions might deem not fit for them. 

Abnegation was hard-pressed to handle the total responsibility of dealing with the factionless as well as the running of the government. Something Erudite was using to slowly erode the belief they should have those responsibilities anymore. That was until two years ago when the first of many proposed changes were made. The care centers. With its tentative success even more are being looked at, costing Erudite the threat they were using to gain power.

Enter divergents into the playing field. 

There have always been whispers about the ones who don’t fit completely into only one of the factions. There has long been a debate if this is really a problem as long as the person chooses a faction and holds to its ideals and laws. Some rumors have circled that divergents really are a threat because they simply are not capable of conforming at all, that their divergence makes them aberrations and deviants.

There’s no data to confirm that rumor...but it wouldn’t be hard for Erudite to either fake the data or prove just enough of it as true to start a witch hunt...and even better to have the army to carry it out.

“Time to go initiates,” A gruff voice commands us loudly as the ceremony has started to finally wind down.

I don’t hesitate to go out the door with the others even though I’m doing so silently whereas everyone else is hooting and hollering...or just being loud in general despite the master of ceremony trying to talk to the assembly. Gabe looks at me with a smirk when the person talking has to turn up the volume on the sound system just to be heard over the noise as the entire section of the Dauntless faction follows on our heels. 

I’m swept into a sea of black that surrounds us on the way to the train. Some of the older members break off to run in different directions but we hear shouted orders for the initiates to stick together and follow the leader of the group. He’s apparently headed to a bridge structure that has tracks on top of it. 

“Get to climbing,” Another gruff order, one that he demonstrates by starting his own climb. 

Having reached the same post he’s climbing just as he started up it, I begin my own climb when he’s cleared enough for me to take my turn. I concentrate on the climb while the man is barking out orders to all the others who have decided to wait for this one particular post.

“You’re gonna miss the train if you bunch up like a thong does up an ass crack. Spread out and get your own pole to climb.”

I spare a second to make sure Gabe started to climb just after me and that he didn’t step aside to let someone else go first. This is no time to let that maddening overly polite side he has to come out. I grin when I see that he’s following me instead of letting himself be a sucker. 

The climb isn’t really all that difficult. The metal pillar had pieces of metal welded in place that almost made it like a ladder. The most difficult thing about it was that there was a good amount of space between each rung and there were no sides to grip like a ladder has. Instead, I had to tightly grip the vertical lip. It was tricky but manageable.

Once I’m at the top I have to swing a leg up and over until I’m on the solid surface then move a little further down to allow room for the others. The man who has been our guide to this point has his arms crossed over his chest and is facing the direction the climbers will come up. He glanced my way once and grunted something that might have been approval for finishing my climb so quickly after him. Other than that he’s stone-cold, like a statue standing guard, only occasionally does anything crack that facade when he either grunts approval at others or frowns at the ones taking way too damn long.

By the time the last one clears the climb I can hear the train coming upon us. 

“That’s our ride. If you miss it you don’t get another chance. So I suggest you keep up.” He barks loudly to be heard over the increasing noise just before he breaks out into a run. 

I take off without hesitation and also without a doubt that I’m going to be able to make it onto the train. That isn’t because I’m cocky, but because I’ve done this before. It pays to have a best friend who has older brothers already in Dauntless. They made it a point to make sure we knew how to get on and off the train years before it was our turn to join them. 

The downside to that is that those same brothers are going to be expecting a lot from Gabe and me, especially Nate since he’s a leader. So far we’ve managed to keep ahead of the group, including the Dauntless-born but this is just day one, and we haven’t even gotten to the real shit yet. 

Getting onto the train went about as I imagined it would. The only exception was the fact that Gabe didn’t jump on right behind me, instead he helped boost a few people up before he got on himself. I couldn’t rib him on that much when it turned out he had an alternative motive for helping the two girls onto the train. He didn’t waste any time flirting with the one he seemed the most interested in.

I shook my head and left him to it by walking over to where the door of the train car stood open. I braced myself securely on one side of it and watched the city rolling by, still lost in thought about everything I realized today.

The weight of it settled on my shoulders and I didn’t even know where to begin to try and put a stop to things before someone I care about gets hurt. I don’t know how long I stood there scowling into the wind before Gabe joined me at the opening.

“You already strike out?” I ask, loudly enough to be heard over the roar of the train slicing through the air around us.

He smirks and shakes his head. “Not a chance. I just didn’t want to miss it.”

“Miss what?” I shout.

“Miss them,” He shouts back with a smile and points out of the door. 

I follow the direction of his indication and find he’s pointing to the top of a building just a few feet higher than we are in the train as it travels over another bridge. I recognize the building immediately as it’s one on the outskirts of the Erudite sector we’ve frequented before during nights we would sit up on the roof of the building and watch the train hurtling through the city on the last legs to the Dauntless sector. 

The sun is high on the horizon, illuminating the two figures standing there watching just like we’ve done in the past. I can’t make out their faces but I don’t need to. I know who they are and would probably even if Gabe hadn’t pointed them out to me.

One of the figures lifts her hand high in the air, her silver hair loose from the bun she had it in earlier. It glints in the sun as the wind whips it around her small frame. I find myself mimicking her and raising my hand as well with Gabe joining me. 

We let our arms drop back to our sides and move away from the door only when the two figures become nothing but memories. Gabe doesn’t go right back to his newest conquest, instead, he stands with me looking as troubled as I feel.

“You worried me earlier man,” He confesses and looks at me with concern in his eyes. “I thought there for a minute you were going to stay in Erudite.”

I contemplate my answer and decide to give it to him honestly. “For a minute I thought I would.”

Gabe nods slowly, looking down at his feet, and shoves his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, I almost did too.”

His confession isn’t a surprise. I know my friend well enough to know how much it’s killing him to leave his brother and sister behind. I also know those two well enough to know what their reaction would have been if they knew he had even thought for a second of staying for them.

“They would have been right pissed if you had.” 

He looks up, grins, and nods. “Yeah, they would have. Sylvan would have kicked my ass every day for a month if not the rest of my life.”

I can’t help smiling and laughing. I’ve never witnessed the things her brothers say she’s capable of, but to hear them tell it she’s already got some serious ass-kicking skills and isn’t afraid to use them on her brothers. 

“Probably,” I agree, still smiling.

He sighs and claps a hand on my shoulder, his expression back to a serious nature.

“Whatever your reasons for almost staying...which I suspect might have had something to do with your parents...I’m glad you didn’t.”

“So am I,” I reply simply and with a sigh.

Gabe nods and releases my shoulder then smirks. “Okay, enough with all that. I see two lovely ladies looking awfully lonely over there.”

He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and walked in the direction of the girls. I shake my head and turn to follow him but look over my shoulder out the door as the last vestiges of Erudite completely fade away on the horizon.

I feel a pain deep inside me, like I just lost something important to me but I couldn’t even begin to tell someone what that could be. It’s certainly not my family, if anything that’s a relief to be rid of them...or the pretense of them. 

They definitely will not miss me at all. I don’t think anyone really will.

I allow myself a moment to feel that pain before I lock it away and forget what I didn’t have in Erudite. I have the future ahead of me, one that I’ve looked forward to and will be completely of my own making. I also have a new resolve that makes reaching those goals even more critical for me to achieve.

That’s more important to me than figuring out why I feel like I’ve just left a big piece of me behind in Erudite.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**_Eric_ **

My footsteps echo loudly against the rough stone walls as I make my way deeper into the bowels of the Dauntless compound. The air is chilly enough that I'm glad I didn't bother removing my heavier winter jacket and gloves after my return from a meeting in Erudite. In the hotter months of the year, this same cold air is a relief whenever I have had to make my way down here, but it's winter right now and it just makes the cold seep right down to my bones.

I don't know how people stood this cold back when Dauntless was first founded and resided in most of these subterranean places and I'm thankful we don't have to anymore.

I've been in Dauntless for a little over a year now but I'm still now quite as used to the compound as I should be by now. Every time I have to return to Erudite for a meeting it always feels like the culture shock I got when I first stepped foot in my new faction.

Before coming here I never gave actually living here much thought. I didn't contemplate mundane things like if the buildings Dauntless occupy have heating for winter or air conditioning for summer. I just took for granted that they would because Erudite did. There are a million other little things just like that which make big differences in day-to-day life in this faction. So much so that I'm still discovering things I didn't know even now.

Not that it's a bad thing, mind you. I fucking love being in Dauntless despite the huge differences between my old faction and new. I would be hard-pressed to describe what's so great about it but I guess it boils down to the fact that it's real here. There's no need for the fake smiles and the overly polished appearances among the members of this faction. Generally what you see is what you get and we prefer it that way, something that would never happen in Erudite.

There it's always about plots within plots hid behind different veneers of polite smiles and silver tongues. The hours I have to spend there are torture but are necessary for now. I'm still having to play by their rules in order to get what we need for Dauntless.

Although I hope that after today I won't have to do that for much longer.

I walk down a final hallway and see the door to the room I'm headed in front of me. The location of this room isn't where one would expect it to be. It's not located in the same section of the compound that the administrative part of the faction operates out of. It's not even in the section of the compound that houses all of the tech Dauntless uses as their command central.

This office is located in the bowels of Dauntless in a section of the compound that is hardly traveled anymore. Not since the faction spread out and claimed more buildings in the sector we are located for things like housing and shops.

I stand rigidly in front of a door, hesitating for a few seconds before I square my jaw, raise my hand and deliver three rapid raps.

I've barely lowered my arm when the command to enter is barked out. I take a deep breath and open the door to one of the smaller conference rooms that the leaders of Dauntless use for matters that need more security. It might seem paranoid to have this but when it comes to averting potential government coups and the possibility of mass genocide during the said coup, every pre-caution can and will be taken in this faction.

I nod in greeting to those who are already present as I shut the door behind me. A wave of warmth washes over me, drawing out a sigh of pleasure as I move towards my seat and begin to divest rid myself of my gloves and jacket.

The five people already seated give me the time to get settled in my chair but Max speaks up as I start to pull things from my messenger bag.

"I take it you were able to get evidence regarding their plans?"

"I believe you should take a look at what I have and make the determination for yourselves," I reply with a grimace as I start handing stuff over for the five senior leaders present to look over.

Max, Harrison, Clarence, Victoria, and Nate each take a set of documents to go over, switching out as they finish them off. Their expressions darkening with each new thing that's revealed. I watch Nate intently, knowing how close to home a few of the things I've uncovered are. I can tell the second he gets to one specific bit because his head snaps up and his eyes bore into mine. My jaw is tight as I try to contain my own rage and I only give a short terse nod.

After several more minutes of tense quiet Max tosses the last paper down with a sigh. "I would say you got evidence of something just not what I was expecting. Before we even get into this new stuff, give us a status report on their progress so far in building their own army and if it can be traced back to any of the higher-ups in Erudite leadership."

The report starts out like all these official reports have so far with a recap of the events chronicling the escalation of events. I've gotten so used to doing this I don't have the nervous jitters I had at the start. Even during those first two unofficial meetings when I was still in initiation. I waited all of two weeks before I requested to talk to all the Bryant brothers about the stunt my parents pulled and what they suggested. Two days after that I had another unofficial meeting, this time with just Nate and Max.

That was about the time that Erudite put a motion forward during a meeting, requesting to have Dauntless provide three units to be transferred and stationed to their sector on a permanent basis. Meaning they would live and work there and be technically under Erudite command. That was shot down almost immediately for two reasons. The first reason was that we, Dauntless, honestly do not have the manpower to spare. We're already strained to our limits covering the areas we do as well as keeping guards on permanent stations along our cities borders. The second reason was that Marcus Eaton has a well-known dislike of Erudite and tends to try and get anything they request dismissed and in this case, it was easily voted down.

I knew my parents weren't happy I picked Dauntless and I probably made them look bad to their friends, so I thought this might be an attempt at getting me back there. It turned out I was mostly wrong. They knew the proposal had a larger possibility of being denied than it did being accepted, but on the off chance it wasn't, they would pull strings to make sure I was the one sent to Erudite.

Their real goal, however, was the counter-proposal of being allowed to create their own security with one or two Dauntless to help properly train the chosen Erudite. Their reasoning for this was the increased amount of thefts from their sector by factionless. Since they had sufficient evidence to prove the need for this and proposed a reasonable compromise to the initial request, it was approved.

Only the three of us knew that there was another reason for forming the group and Max granted my request to use my parent's connection to investigate our theories, which has been slow going.

After passing initiation and ranking second place I was offered one of the spots for the leadership track which has required training of it's own to be completed before anything else. I busted my ass and pulled double shifts to get done what I needed to get done in order for me to start working on earning a spot as a junior leader, and hopefully, that will lead to me getting a position as a senior leader when one becomes available.

My becoming a leader is a large part of what's been holding up my progress in taking Erudite down. I've had to gain trust and prove that I can be a worthwhile ally for them and my lack of a senior leader position has halted that somewhat until recently.

That brings me to now and my current report.

"I believe that I've made progress in gaining their trust after the most recent proposal was accepted by the council that can help further their plans in creating their 'security team'. I informed them of the requirements for me to gain a senior leadership position is to have one or several successful projects that help the faction in some fashion. I advised them I had an idea for one that would help me gain that position while also helping to achieve the primary Erudite goal." I state before I pass out the relevant documentation regarding this newest change in the city.

"They were running into issues being able to find enough suitable candidates for their security forces that are already members and were turning to those who are due to choose within the next year or so and not finding their options much better, at least not by Dauntless standards." "My suggestion was that we could go ahead and start training with the members who are suitable enough to meet our immediate needs then expand the search through all factions. I was able to give them a timeline and plan that will have to be taken in stages and with the first of those plans being easily put into action I was able to gain even more of their trust."

"So they truly believe that mandating physical education courses run by Dauntless will give them the candidates they want?" Harrison asks me, alternating between looking over the paper and at me.

"I've managed to convince them it will increase the physical suitability at the very least and there is data to support that theory. Erudite already hosts several clubs through the school that are sports-oriented but attendance is smaller than it could be and is mostly just the Erudite who know about it and are interested in those types of things. There have been the stray Dauntless and Candor who have been accepted but those are rare. It was easy for me to point out that the majority of dependents who take part in those types of activities generally have transferred to Dauntless when their time came, by offering them another option they could prevent that."

In this room, it didn't need to be said that none of us had any intention of ever letting that happen. It also didn't need to be said outside of this room that the only people we planned on benefiting in that respect was ourselves, Dauntless. Everything I stated is true. The people that take those kinds of opportunities usually end up coming here. By making physical education a mandate we just might increase the number of transfers even more. I just used that truth and allowed the group in Erudite to think my real motivation is to give them, and me by default, their army.

"I see that you've added our choices for instructors that we discussed prior to presenting this to them but I also see some other things added that weren't there before. What are these possible additions to the curriculum mentioned in their debriefing?"

"Actually, I believe I can answer that since I was the one that suggested Eric might want to include them. We all know that we are using this as a method to put a stop to Erudite's plans but there's no reason we can't use it to our advantage as well and get things put into place that will help us in the long run. Physical education being required is a great first step but that won't necessarily motivate kids to go Dauntless without further incentives. I thought back to how my parents kept six children motivated to keep in shape and compared that to things we already do here and came up with a few suggestions."

"Do you have a list of these?" Max asked with definite interest and an almost knowing look in his eyes.

"We wanted to go over them before I presented Erudite with them to throw their weight behind the curriculum proposal."

"Good idea," Clarence grunted then waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "One we can address later. For now, what progress have you made in finding out how high up the chain this thing goes."

"The highest I can get proof of links a brother-in-law for the Department of R&R being involved. None of the advisors closest to the leaders or the leaders themselves can be proven to be involved in this other than maybe having made a comment or another that might seem supportive. Despite that, I know that Jeanine Matthews is at least an instigator but proving that would be next to impossible."

I hear grunts of disgust and nod my head while Nate mutters darkly before sighing and shrugging. "As I said at the beginning of this, we shouldn't get our hopes up about tagging her. She's always in the middle of things but can never be pinned down with anything other than voicing her opinions, which isn't illegal. But that's how she gets things done, she'll drop a comment here or suggestion there and people fall over themselves to do whatever it takes to get in her good graces and make her happy."

I only nod in agreement, because this is exactly what's going on with my parents right now. They are doing everything they can to get into her inner circle. This brings me to the next bit of information I've been able to obtain.

"That's exactly what I need to report about next. During the last meeting with my parents, they made a few comments that concerned me about building data regarding the divergent threat. Apparently, Jeanine has been overheard voicing concern and not being able to make a case regarding that without something to present to the council to prove the theory correct. That's not the first time I've heard the complaint but I believed nothing would be done about it until after they had at least gotten a security team together but I was wrong."

I point to the other files I handed them earlier. "Those are the documents I was able to secure after accessing my parent's personal files. They are already running tests of Erudite subjects under different guises but they seem to be targeting the school-age children the most. Since it isn't unusual for kids to be given multiple tests each school year, replacing one of the existing ones with another one will most likely go unnoticed. They have a target list of those they are most interested in subjecting to these tests. In addition, I believe my parents are doing their own off the books tests and experiments. I didn't have the resources to crack the file, but I found one that I'm pretty sure would be the data from those."

"Alright," Max says after a pregnant pause while everyone digested this information. "We need to make some plans about how to handle this new development. We've been careful to in limiting knowledge of the operation inside and outside of the faction but this will require broadening it. We need to make sure to do this by the book and document everything as well as bringing in others we trust outside of the factions. Nate, can we count on Gideon and Selene to help on the front with Erudite?"

"Of course," He replies firmly.

"Clarence, what about Amity?"

"Johanna would be the best one to go to but it might require more to convince her to take a hard stance. If we could find out more regarding those experiments and what it involves...that might get her on board."

Max nodded gravely and looked over at Victoria next. "What about Candor?"

"Jack would be the best one to approach but he will also be the hardest to convince. He would say that an investigation of that magnitude and with the potential ramifications needs hard proof and not just circumstantial or hearsay. What we've already been able to gather so far will go a long way to getting him to at least hear us out fairly."

"Harrison?" Max calls the oldest member of the five leaders and doesn't even need to voice the question before the older man harumphs then sighs.

"Abnegation is going to be a nightmare to deal with, Max. Letting Marcus Eaton anywhere near this would be a monumental mistake and might just be the advent that brings on the civil unrest we are worried about. If he gets anywhere near this he will turn it into an all-out war against Erudite, one that we can't afford nor do we need. The problem is there is no way to do what will need to be done without bringing Abnegation into things and that will mean he will too."

His admission was something that's been on my mind and I had been kicking around an idea but I'm not sure how well it will go over with one of the people involved.

"Unless a way can be found to muzzle him before then." The words slip out before I really allow myself to think about them. All heads turn to me and Max looks at me quizzically then motions me to continue. "There was a certain rumor about Marcus Eaton that I know everyone here knows is actually true. If he could be convinced to come forward and substantiate those rumors it could work in our favor. We could just use that to make Marcus go along with things but I would suggest getting him removed from his position for abuse of power. There's no way he didn't use his position to hide his abuse of his son not to mention the questionable death of his wife. His removal might allow someone else a bit more reasonable to step in although I don't know who it would be."

"Andrew Prior," Nate responds while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "He's not exactly pleasant, has a real holier than thou thing going on but he also is very honest and intelligent. There have been things he's stepped forward to get passed through that Marcus was very vocally opposed to, like the care centers."

"I don't care for him myself either, but when it matters he usually can be counted on to stand up for what's right and better for the city instead of cowering to Marcus." Max agrees. "That being said I won't force the boy to bring charges against his father but I can agree that someone should address the issue with him. Maybe tell him how it will help not only Dauntless but the city as well."

I see a few of them glance at me as Nate smirks at me and I shake my head vehemently. "It would be a very bad idea for me to try and talk to him about this. Four and I have put our differences aside but there's still some bitterness from our initiation. The fact that I used his situation with his father against him in our fight will still be fresh in his mind. If anyone would be able to get through to him it would be Amar. That's who he really looks up to and is closest to here."

"Alright, I'll make a note to talk to Amar about that when I talk to him about heading up the group who are going to be teachers of the physical education department of the school. Nate and Eric, I want you to get with him as well to go over the curriculum we want to see introduced there. Clarence, we need to come up with something that can get Eric access to those files. That needs to be a priority in order for us to know what we're up against and to get the other factions on board."

"Copy," Nate confirms while I nod and Clarence grunts in agreement.

"I think about covers things for now unless anyone can think of anything else?" Max asks while looking around the table. Seeing no one has anything to add he dismisses the meeting.

Nate gets up and walks around to me and pauses long enough to quietly pass a final message. "Dinner in my apartment, I'll pass the word to the others."

"I'll be there," I assure him, knowing without having to ask what the subject will be at the dinner tonight. I knew how he would react when he saw the list of people that Erudite, specifically my parents, compiled of people they want to conduct tests and experiments on, especially the top two names on it. When I saw I had been hard-pressed not to give myself away.

My only consolation in restraining myself was the knowledge that I would make every last bastard pay for even thinking about laying a finger on either of the youngest Bryant children. Seeing those names...seeing her name...and imagining any harm being done did something to me. It wounded me deeply. It also drove away any of the small vestiges of feeling for the people who brought me into this world. As far as I am concerned Steven and Patricia Coulter are just two people who happen to have the same last name as I do.

That fact won't stop me from making sure they face justice for any crimes they commit...but if they harm Sylvan and Elijah...I'll make sure I'm the one delivering that justice to them personally.


End file.
